Quick Overview
There are a few main ways to try to recover lost or deleted data from your computer:
- Restore from backup – If you have a regular backup routine, you may be able to restore files from a previous backup.
- Recover deleted files – Use data recovery software to scan your hard drive and recover deleted files that haven’t been fully overwritten.
- Recover from the Recycle Bin – On Windows PCs, recently deleted files may still be in the Recycle Bin.
- Use System Restore – On Windows, System Restore can roll your system back to an earlier state, recovering lost files.
- Recover lost partitions – If a disk partition has become corrupted or lost, partition recovery software may be able to find and recover it.
The chances of recovery depend on how the data was lost, how much the computer has been used since, and what recovery methods are used. The sooner you act, the better your chances.
How Data Is Stored and Deleted on a Computer
Before diving into specifics on recovering lost data, it helps to understand how computer storage works and how deletion occurs. This provides important context for why files can often be recovered, even if they appear to be deleted.
On a hard disk or SSD storage drive, data is stored in discrete blocks. When a file is created, it occupies a certain number of blocks to store its data. The file system keeps track of which blocks belong to which files.
When a file is deleted, the pointer in the file system marking that file’s blocks is simply removed. The actual data remains on the disk until those blocks are overwritten by new data. So until they are overwritten, deleted files can be recovered by scanning the raw data on the disk and reconstructing files based on the blocks not currently marked as in use in the file system.
However, if a deleted file’s blocks are overwritten by new data, the original data is generally not recoverable. The more a drive is used after deletion occurs, the greater the chances that deleted files have been partially or completely overwritten. So it’s important to recover lost data as soon as possible before too much new data is written.
Restore Deleted Files from Backup
If you have a good backup routine in place, the easiest way to recover lost data is simply to restore files from your latest backup. Backup systems like Apple Time Machine or Windows Backup and Restore provide capabilities to restore files that have gone missing or been deleted.
Online backup services like CrashPlan, Backblaze, Carbonite, and others also make it easy to restore files that may have been lost or accidentally deleted both on your primary computer and other synced devices. Smartphones also often automatically back up photos and other media files to the associated cloud services like Google Photos and iCloud.
To ensure you have the files you need when you need them, it’s wise to:
- Perform backups on a regular basis – daily or weekly.
- Use an automated backup system that performs regular incremental backups.
- Store backups both locally (for quick restores) and in the cloud (for protection against local disasters like drive failures or ransomware).
- Test that you are able to successfully restore from backups on a periodic basis.
If you don’t have an existing backup to restore from, then move on to the next options for recovering lost data.
Recover Deleted Files from Your Hard Disk
If you don’t have a backup to restore from, the next place to check for recoverable files is your primary storage drive. Even if you have deleted files or reformatted the drive, specialized data recovery software can often still recover data until it has been overwritten.
Here are the basic steps to try recovering deleted files from your hard disk:
- Download and install a data recovery app designed to recover deleted files from your hard disk. Some popular options include:
- Recuva (Windows)
- EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard (Windows & Mac)
- Stellar Data Recovery (Windows & Mac)
- TestDisk (Windows, Mac & Linux)
- Scan your hard disk drive with the data recovery software. It will look for files that have been deleted but are still present on the drive and recoverable.
- Preview found files to identify those you want to attempt recovery on. Focus on your most important data first.
- Select the files to recover and choose a safe location to recover them to (not the same disk you are recovering from!).
- Finally, attempt to open the recovered files and verify the data is intact.
The effectiveness of this process depends on how much data has been written to the drive since deletion. But it’s often worth an attempt, since storage is relatively cheap compared to the value of lost data.
Recovering Data from SSDs vs. HDDs
Solid-state drives (SSDs) store data differently than traditional hard disk drives (HDDs), so the recovery process can differ as well.
Specifically, HDDs can retain deleted data better in unused sections of the drive than SSDs can. With SSDs, deleted file blocks are more quickly reallocated for new data to maintain optimal performance.
So recovering deleted files from SSDs is often more difficult unless attempted very soon after deletion, before much new data is written. But data recovery software tools can still recover data from SSDs in many cases, just with a lower success rate compared to HDDs.
Recover Files from the Recycle Bin or Trash
One of the first places to check for recoverable deleted files is the Windows Recycle Bin or Mac Trash. These contain files that have been recently deleted from your computer via typical methods like Delete key or drag to Trash/Recycle.
Files in the Recycle Bin or Trash stay there until the storage is needed for new data. Then the oldest deleted files are purged from the bin.
To recover deleted files from the Recycle Bin or Trash:
- Open the Recycle Bin / Trash folder.
- Find the file(s) you want to recover.
- Right click on the file and choose Restore or Recover.
- The file will be returned to its original location.
By default, files stay in the Recycle Bin for 30 days (configurable) before being purged. The Trash on Mac doesn’t have a set time limit by default.
Recovering files from the Recycle Bin or Trash can be useful for quick access to files you just recently deleted. But for older deletions, a more thorough data recovery tool would be needed.
Use System Restore or Time Machine
Windows System Restore and the Mac Time Machine utility are other options that essentially let you “turn back time” on your computer’s system to recover lost files.
Windows System Restore
The System Restore feature has been built into Windows for years. It takes periodic system snapshots, allowing you to roll back your system to a previous state as needed.
System Restore is enabled by default on most versions of Windows. To check, access System Protection settings in the System Control Panel. Make sure “Configure System Protection” is turned on for your primary system drive (typically C:).
With system protection enabled, you can access the System Restore wizard in the System Control Panel. It will show you available restore points with the date and time they were created. You can choose one to roll your system back to in order to recover lost or corrupted data.
Once restored to the selected date, your system will be in the state it was at that point in time. So you can recover missing files assuming they still existed in one of the snapshots.
Mac Time Machine
The Time Machine backup utility included with MacOS also maintains periodic snapshots that can be used to recover lost data. It is not enabled by default, so you need to turn it on to start capturing snapshot data.
With Time Machine enabled, you can step back through snapshot history in the Time Machine interface to find an earlier version of a file that has gone missing or been corrupted. You can view all available snapshots of your system and recover individual files that have been lost or deleted.
For maximum effectiveness, Time Machine needs to be enabled and set up before data is lost. But even if you haven’t used it before, turning Time Machine on now can help capture a backup of your system in its current state, in case more files go missing in the future.
Recover Lost or Corrupted Partitions
If you experience a drive failure or corruption, sometimes the disk partition structure can be damaged. This can result in entire partitions going missing along with all the contained data.
Typical data recovery software often won’t help in these scenarios, since there is no file system left to scan and reconstruct individual files from.
Instead, you need dedicated partition recovery software that works at the disk level to try to find lost or damaged partitions and make them accessible again. Some partition recovery tools to try include:
- TestDisk
- EaseUS Partition Recovery
- MiniTool Partition Recovery
- Stellar Partition Recovery
For best results recovering a corrupted partition:
- Don’t attempt to modify or create new partitions, which overwrites data.
- Connect the drive to another system in read-only mode via USB adapter or enclosure.
- Scan the external drive with partition recovery software.
- Identify and recover the lost partition(s).
- Assign a new drive letter if needed and check files for integrity.
Recovering partitions works best if they have become corrupted but the actual drive hardware is still functioning. If the physical drive hardware is damaged or non-functional, more specialized data recovery techniques would be required.
Use a Specialized Data Recovery Service
If DIY software data recovery attempts are unsuccessful, a specialized data recovery service may be able to help, for a price. Services like DriveSavers, Ontrack, or Gillware can employ advanced techniques like:
- Repairing damaged drive hardware.
- Manually reconstructing partition tables and file systems.
- Imaging drives for safer data extraction.
- Using forensic tools to read raw drive sectors and carve out files.
These techniques can significantly increase the chances of recovering data in difficult scenarios with major hardware damage or almost complete data loss. This type of advanced data recovery service does cost several hundred to several thousand dollars on average due to the labor and skills required.
But for individuals or businesses that absolutely require recovering irreplaceable data from a damaged drive, external data recovery services are often the last resort to try. Just be aware that no guarantees can be made, even by professionals.
Prevent Future Data Loss
After recovering lost files, make sure to take steps to prevent a recurrence in the future:
- Enable automatic backups, like Time Machine or Windows Backup.
- Maintain a rotation of manual backups onto external drives.
- Setup cloud backup services like CrashPlan or Backblaze for redundancy.
- Be careful before deleting important files. Use the Recycle Bin/Trash as a safety net.
- Don’t save important files in just one place – use multiple backup destinations.
No system is foolproof, but following best practices for backups and deletion habits will keep your important files as safe as possible.
Conclusion
While permanent data loss is always a risk, there are thankfully a number of techniques you can try to recover lost files, partitions, or entire systems. Backup restoration, undelete utilities, system restore points, partition recovery software, and external data recovery services are all options that could potentially bring your data back from the brink.
Acting quickly as soon as data loss occurs and using read-only media for recovery gives you the highest chance to get your files back intact before they are overwritten. And maintaining good backup hygiene is still the best way to avoid needing data recovery in the first place.
By understanding the various options for data recovery and following good file backup practices, you can minimize both the chances of data loss and the potential impact if it does occur. With the right tools and knowledge, you can significantly improve your ability to recover lost files and get important data back where it belongs.